Jagdish Patel is a multi-disciplinary artist, writer, and researcher whose practice interrogates the intersections of social practice, anti-racism, and archival research. His work critically examines the role of visual art, performance, and memory in shaping narratives of resistance, care, and political agency.

He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at SOAS, University of London, where his research explores the history of Asian activism and progressive democratic thought from 1900 to the 1980s. Mapping the transnational exchange of ideas between India, the USA, Europe, and Britain, he examines the intellectual and artistic networks that have shaped discourses on race, politics, and cultural resistance.

As a PhD candidate at Coventry University’s Centre for Memory, Arts, and Communities, Jagdish is completing his investigation into the ways in which socially engaged artistic methodologies contribute to anti-racist discourse and historical reclamation. Drawing from Black studies, political science, and critical archival practice, his research interrogates how cultural memory is constructed, mediated, and contested within institutional and grassroots contexts. His work also critically examines the ethical responsibilities of artists and institutions in engaging with historically marginalised communities.

Beyond academia, he is engaged in grassroots activism, collaborating with organisations such as The Monitoring Group, a human rights charity, and Himmah, a food justice and anti-poverty initiative. He is a founding member of the Nottingham Centre for Photography and Social Engagement and Reframed. This platform supports Global Majority photographers in challenging visual hegemonies and expanding critical photographic discourse.

His socially engaged practice is rooted in long-term collaborations with diverse communities, including Gypsy and Portuguese farmworker communities, Asian football clubs, Northern Soul enthusiasts, survivors of racial violence, Muslim War Veterans, and Punjabi pub owners. Through these engagements, his work critically explores the politics of representation, lived experience, and collective memory, positioning them within broader discourses on race, identity, and decolonial methodologies.

Jagdish has presented exhibitions at major cultural institutions, including New Art Exchange (Nottingham), Southbank Centre (London), Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Leicester Museums, and Primary (Nottingham). His work continues to shape contemporary debates on decolonial methodologies, public history, and the transformative potential of socially engaged art in reimagining historical narratives and cultural memory.